


Yeah, that's Mike

by PrinceWilliamOfSomeplaceSomewhere



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Gen, Henry Bowers is His Own Warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:55:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23578753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceWilliamOfSomeplaceSomewhere/pseuds/PrinceWilliamOfSomeplaceSomewhere
Summary: For those who wonder how Eddie knew Mike as Mike and not that homeschooled kid.This is set in the book, but it's movie!Eddie.*WARNING* gay slurs but what do you expect from Bowers
Relationships: Mike Hanlon & Eddie Kaspbrak
Kudos: 5





	Yeah, that's Mike

Eddie liked riding alone sometimes. Sure it was from riding with Ben and Richie, and chasing after Bill as he bolted ahead on Silver, but riding alone had a sort of tranquillity to it.

He wasn't too sure what tranquillity meant (he had only heard it once when he passed some high schoolers studying in the library) but he guessed that if it meant anything, it would be the feeling he got riding his bike alone. No Richie doing his Voices, or Ben gushing about Bev, or Bill, or architecture. No trying to keep up with Bill, even though Eddie knew he could ever catch up to him. Just Eddie and his bike, the wind in his hair and his mother's ironclad grasp miles behind him.

Today, Eddie was riding along the road next to the Barrens. He wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going, his brain too stuck on remembering a book he saw at the library. On the way home, Eddie thought, I might stop to pick it up. Maybe then I'd get what Stan and Ben were rambling about. 

He was so caught up in his thoughts, he hadn't realised he was riding towards the Bowers' farm. In fact, he was so caught up, he didn't realise that the white and blue blur out of the corner of his eye was Henry Bowers himself.

Henry Bowers was bored out of his mind. Usually, he had Victor Criss and Patrick Hocksetter to keep him company. But Criss had driven up to Bangor with his family for the weekend and Hocksetter had come down with a rather nasty cold and Henry had decided best to leave the fucker alone if he didn't want to spend a week in bed, his father looming at his door.

He was rather, pissed to see Kaspbrak whiz past on his little bike. The kid hadn't seemed to have noticed Henry. That twisted his stomach into knots. What, was he not important enough to be noticed. Was this pipsqueak suddenly not afraid of him anymore? Henry pocketed the pocket-knife he was fiddling with and started after the kid. He'll show him something to be afraid of. He'll make this little fag shit his pants.

"Hey, faggot!" Eddie's head snapped up, his eyes wide. He lost some balance on his bike, and wobble a little. He could feel his throat standing to close up.

He risked a glance behind him and he snapped his head forward again when he was met with the sight of the one and only Henry Bowers. Eddie pedalled faster, and faster until he was almost pounding his feet on his pedals.

Henry's laugh echoes in Eddie's ears and though the empty street as he raced down the road. Why the fuck did it sound so close? How the fuck is he keeping up with me? Why, in the good name of horse shit, did I not see him? How did I not see him? Questions flew around Eddie's mind it took him everything to keep going and not fall. Except, everything wasn't enough because he did fall off. He fell off and handed on his ankle.

His cry rang out on the empty street. Henry's laugh got louder and the crazy look in his eye got crazier if that was even fucking possible.

Eddie reached for his aspirator and took a huge puff before he started scrambling back. He tried standing up, but the pain from his ankle shot through his leg and he toppled back down. Eddie moaned.

Henry was getting closer. It had seemed that Eddie's speed had naturally put distance between himself and Eddie. But now he was getting closer. So much closer. Eddie tried moving away, crawling away, scrambling away, just trying to get farther away from Bowers who kept getting closer and closer.

Then Henry, only a few feet away, reached into his pockets and pulled out his knife. Flashbacks on Ben and his blood-soaked sweatshirts, and Eddie's own broken nose came back to him, and he tightened his grip on his aspirator as a pathetic whine left Eddie's lips.

Henry looked about ready to pounce.

"Hey!"

Henry tone in place, his arm above his head the knife gleaming in the sun. Eddie looked behind him and saw a man, a negro man, aiming a shotgun at Henry.

"Mike," the man said quietly, edging forward, shotgun still steady. A boy around his age stepped from behind the man, "help this boy up."

The boy, Mike, rushed to Eddie's side and helped him to stand up. Eddie, his arm across Mike's broad shoulders (they're broad for an 11-year-old, Eddie thought and blushed slightly. He mentally cursed at himself for blushing), winced at the pain shooting up his leg again and sucked in a breath.

They stabbed walking, (Mike walking, Eddie limping) towards what Eddie assumed was Mike's house. Oh, I'm were on Hanlon farm. That made sense, Eddie mused.

He snuck a glance behind him and didn't like what he saw. Mr Hanlon was edging forward, Bowers edging backwards, but the dark took in Henry's eyes hadn't gone. They flicked over to Eddie and Mike and Henry's mouth curled into a snarl.

"Go home, Henry, before I call your father and tell him you're terrorising kids again." Me Hanlon barked, and with one glance at Eddie's direction, he turned around and ran, his tail between his legs.

Mike and Eddie were at his house by the time Mr Hanlon aimed his shotgun to the ground and started walking back.

Mike helped Eddie into a chair, and Mrs Hanlon, who was in the kitchen, started fussing about Eddie.

Mrs Hanlon was not at all like Sonia Kaspbrak. Mrs Hanlon was much prettier and nowhere near as big. But looks aside, Mrs Hanlon didn't fuss the same way Sonia did.

Sonia ran about the kitchen, panic in her voice as she muttered to herself about how dangerous the world was. Mrs Hanlon took one look at Eddie and Mike and the position they were in (Eddie arm around Mike's shoulders and Mike's arm around Eddie's waist. Eddie was leaning heavily on the other boy and he had his throbbing ankle raised off the ground) and shook her head. She grabbed a rag from under the sink, wet it under some water and kneeled down to inspect the damage.

Turns out he hadn't twisted his ankle, like Eddie had first thought, but merely sprained it. "It should be fine," she said, "with some rest and hydration. You know what hydration means, Eddie?" Eddie nodded. Mrs Hanlon nodded and went back into the kitchen.

"How you doing, Eddie?" Mr Hanlon asked him. He was sitting on the other side of the dining table.

"I've been better, Mr Hanlon, thank you for asking." Eddie looked at Mike. He was sitting next to Eddie, "Thank you all for helping me. It might have been dead if it weren't for you, Mr Hanlon."

Mr Hanlon smiled, "Please, call me Will. And it's no problem, Eddie. This is a safe space. Come here if you're ever in trouble."

Eddie nodded. They sat in silence for a bit before Eddie spoke up, "I should be getting home. My mother wants me back before sunset." He went to stand up, but his ankle wasn't feeling too great about it. Eddie winced.

Both Mike and Mr Hanlon began to move towards him. He put his hand on Mike's shoulder for support.

Mrs Hanlon came in from the kitchen, "Are you sure you need to go. You can stay for dinner," she asked leaning on the wall.

Eddie shook his head. "I don't want to intrude. Besides, my mother wouldn't want me being here. She's not really." Eddie trailed off, his cheeks reddening. Mrs Hanlon's face hardened and she nodded. She walked back into the kitchen, her head held high. Eddie realised he admired her.

"How will you get there? You can't really side home." Mike pointed out. It was the first thing he said the entire time Eddie was there.

Eddie shrugged. "I guess I have to walk."

Mike's forehead furrowed. "What about Bowers, he might come to get you?"

Eddie's own brow frowned. "I-I dunno." He hadn't thought of that.

"Well, if it's okay," Mike said. Eddie looked up at him, "I could walk with you." Eddie started nodding vigorously. That would be a wonderful plan.

Both boys looked at Mr Hanlon, and he studied the before dropping them a smile and a nod. "You know the rules, Mike, back before dark."

Mike grinned and help Eddie to the door. The sun was still blazing it's 4 o'clock shine, but it had taken a while for Eddie to ride this far, left alone walk.

Mike grabbed his bike and Eddie grabbed his farm where it was laying on the grass. He shook his head to make him forget what it reminded him of. He didn't need that now.

"So, Mike," Eddie scrambled for a question, "you're homeschooled, right?"

"Ah, yeah. The bullies at school weren't just the kids anymore. The teachers were doing it too."

"Right." Eddie nodded his head, "But at least you spend more time on the farm. That's got to be better than spending all day in a classroom."

"Ha, ha, yeah, I guess," Mike laughed, "Me and my dad listen to music while we work."

"Do you have a favourite singer?"

"Um, not really, but I do like Chuck Berry. I think he's pretty good."

"Oh my God!" Eddie's eyes went wide, "I love him! He's so cool! Honestly, I listen to him whenever I can. Which is all the time really but, there are times where Richie, you know Richie? The Bucky Beavers Trashmouth? Yeah, him. He really likes rock and roll, so does Bill. Bill Denbrough? Stuttering Bill? Yeah, they really like rock and roll so they play that when we hang out. And, honestly, I don’t really mind. It’s not that bad. We don't listen to rock and roll with Stan, not all the time. Stan says he listens to it enough when he hangs out with Richie, so we listen to Chuck Berry or whatever he likes them. You know, Stan, right?-"

Mike smiled and listened to Eddie talk as they worked to his house, the sun lowering itself behind them.

When they were nearly at Eddie's house, Eddie stopped. He stopped talking too. "Um," he started and Mike raised his eyebrows. While Mike had talked, Eddie did most of it. He was shocked Eddie wasn't saying much. "I can walk home from here. My mom might be home and I don't want her thinking you're the reason I sprained my ankle. I know that's what she's gonna think."

"Oh," Mike said. He didn't know what else to say. He wasn't really, expecting that. "Okay."

Eddie gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mike," he said, "I'll see you around."

"Yeah. See ya, Eddie." Mike started walking backwards to turn his bike around. He hopped on and pushed on the pedals.

"Hope Bowers doesn't find you," Eddie called out. Mike stuck his thump up in response. Eddie looked at him as he rode into the sunset, a small smile on his face. He pushed his bike up the Kaspbrak residence and park it there. He shuffled through the door and called out. No-one was home. Eddie let out a thankful sigh and stumbled up to his room to rest his ankle like Mrs Hanlon said.

Mike, fortunately, did not encounter Bowers on his way home. When he sat at the table for dinner, the topic Eddie came up. "He's a good kid," his mother said.

"He seems to be," his dad said.

"He is," Mike said finally. He stuck some carrot on his fork. "I think I'm gonna play with tomorrow," he said, putting the fork in his mouth.

Will Hanlon laughed and ruffled his son's hair.

**Author's Note:**

> If Eddie seems OOC for book!Eddie, then it's because it's not and it's movie!Eddie. And, since he's one of my favourite parents, Will Hanlon is in this. He's great.


End file.
